Award-winning outdoor footwear maker, Treksta, released the details of several of its hiking shoe models that allow outdoor users to align their active lifestyles with their vegan and animal cruelty-free beliefs regarding product materials and manufacture. Recognizing that many outdoor users have a difficult time matching their lifestyle choices with high performance product options, Treksta shared the details of two of its exceptional hiking boot models, which are both made from durable, non-leather synthetic materials, and animal-free adhesives and threads. The vegan-friendly boots are the Evolution Mid 161 GTX and the Cape Mid GTX.

Visit: http://www.trekstausa.com

Vegan dietitian Virginia Messina, MPH, RD has a nice post on her blog about vegan children that we’d like to share with you.
Here’s the link http://www.theveganrd.com/2016/04/vegan-diets-are-safe-for-children.html

According to NonProfit Pro.com, employees of corporations
can add to their giving in many ways. Microsoft provides each new
employee with a $50 grant, which the employee can give to a nonprofit
of his or her choice. They also make a matching donation made by
employees up to $15,000 annually and provide grants of $25 per volunteer
hour to nonprofits where employees volunteer.

RealNetworks enables employees to allocate a $500 grant to a nonprofit
of their choosing at their five-year anniversaries.

CarMax matches donations up to $10,000 annually per employee and
provides volunteer grants of $10 per employee per hour, and that
includes donations for the work of family members.

Here is a list of some other companies that provide matching grants:
www.vrg.org/donate
Check “Would you like your employer to match?”

Hip Hop Is Green and Vegan Outreach present: The 10th Element of Hip Hop Tour Concert in Baltimore at Northwestern High School on Monday, May 2nd 2016 from 5:30pm to 8pm.

This historical celebration is declaring “health and wellness” as the 10th Element of Hip Hop. Since 2009, Hip Hop Is Green (HHIG) has served nutritious vegan meals to more than 4,000 youth and families in 10 cities and seeks to create awareness starting and maintaining healthy vegan lifestyles. Many Hip Hop legends and pioneers will join HHIG to declare health and wellness as the 10th Element of Hip Hop because it naturally aligns with the aim of the Hip Hop Declaration of Peace – to “establish a foundation of Health, Love, Awareness, Wealth, Peace and Prosperity” in communities throughout the world.

This concert will immediately follow the Hip Hop Green Dinner that is being held from 5:30pm to 8:00pm. Food provided by The Land of Kush! Tickets on sale now for $15 plus tax. Includes free meal and concert. Sponsor a table for $250. www.hiphopisgreen.com/Baltimore

WHEN – Monday, May 2, 2016 from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM (EDT) – Add to Calendar
WHERE – Northwestern High School – 6900 Park Heights Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21215 – View Map
Organized by the Black Vegetarian Society of Maryland, Ingrid Antonio and the Bemore Group.

Please scroll down to the Green Festival in Washington, DC section to vote for VRG!
Go to: http://www.greenfestivals.org/awards/green-festival-community-award.html

Green Festival is committed to supporting inspiring organizations & projects that educate and benefit their local communities with The Green Festival Community Award, a $5,000 grant awarded to a deserving non-profit, chosen by the public!

The Green Festival Community Award is a great way to gain exposure, support and resources for new or ongoing projects. Organizations get up close and personal with the community through extensive online outreach and social media recognition, and in person, as finalists meet and greet with Green Festival attendees to pitch their ideas. Projects must be locally-based, with creative ideas, measurable goals and a direct benefit to the local, sustainable community.

Exhausted and craving a hearty meal after visiting the Chicago Institute of Art, my sister and I trudged into the nearest restaurant we could find. Tucked along East Adams Street, Brightwok Kitchen was a random choice but unexpectedly turned out to offer us a great lunch experience. Our meal at the restaurant, a self-described Asian-inspired, build-your-own-bowl, veggie-focused company, showed us that Brightwok Kitchen lived up to its claims. A bright and clean interior with modern styling felt welcoming and safe. Although the line was long, we moved quickly as workers offered choices of sauces, bases (white rice, brown rice, rice noodles, or salad), proteins, and vegetables. We watched as they fried our selections in an assembly line of woks. I chose tofu, white rice, and their homemade spicy Korean orange sauce. For the vegetables, I chose carrots, purple cabbage, bean sprouts, and kale. My sister chose rice noodles and Thai basil sauce, with broccoli, purple cabbage, bean sprouts, and butternut squash for her vegetables. The generous serving arrived quickly and fresh from the wok.

The spicy Korean orange sauce in my bowl added a tangy kick but was not overwhelmingly spicy. I loved the balance of texture and flavor between the meaty and firm tofu, crunchy and fresh array of vegetables, and the creaminess of the sauce, all mellowed by a bed of freshly cooked rice. My sister’s variation, with Thai basil sauce and rice noodles instead of rice, was hearty and had a rich flavor with earthy undertones of Thai basil. After finishing the meal, we felt satisfied and too full to even try anything from their selection of sides, which include spicy banana chips and spicy edamame hummus, and their extensive drink menu filled with coffee and tea.

I appreciate that Brightwok Kitchen goes the extra mile by listing the sources of certain foods, like the tofu from Phoenix Bean in Chicago or the tea from In Pursuit of Tea in New York and Rishi Tea from Wisconsin. On their website, they state that their menu is gluten-free, dairy-free, peanut-free, and vegan, besides the meat protein choices and the optional fried egg. (It’s always good to ask questions though.) Also, all the plating and utensils the restaurant offers is either recyclable, reusable, or compostable. For anyone looking for a quick, nutritious, filling, and customizable meal, go visit Brightwok Kitchen, which is walkable distance from some great art centers like the Chicago Symphony Center, Chicago Architecture Foundation, and the Chicago Institute of Art. They also offer take-out, delivery, and catering and are open Monday to Saturday for three meals. To learn more about Brightwok Kitchen, visit www.brightwok.com.

For information about vegetarian restaurants around the USA and Canada, go to
http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

Rabbi Elliot Dorff, who is chair of the movement’s law and standards committee and also a professor of theology at American Jewish University, agrees that shifting demography necessitated the change. And he said there’s another reason behind the decision: the rise of vegans and gluten allergies. “I think that’s why it came up now as opposed to a generation ago,” he said.

Read more:
http://forward.com/culture/food/338525/conservative-movement-overturns-800-year-old-passover-ban-on-rice-and-legum/

Do you carry hot sauce in your bag? Is your Chili Bowl out of this world? Does your Apple Pie make grown men cry? If so, Masterchef USA is looking for you. Don’t be intimidated by the skill level you see on TV, no one walks in a MasterChef. We are looking for fun personalities, a passion for cooking, and a solid foundation to build upon.

What: Come to our casting call and bring an amazing dish!
How: Register here- www.masterchefcasting.com
When: April 30th 10am-6pm
Where: Melrose Georgetown Hotel
2340 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, D.C. 20037
Questions: [email protected]

Great Sage is a fantastic vegan restaurant located in Clarksville, Maryland that is part of Conscious Corner–a family of businesses dedicated to promoting healthy and mindful living by focusing on animal welfare, the environment, and community. Great Sage supports non-profit organizations by hosting monthly Benefit Days, where 10% of the proceeds are donated to a non-profit. We are thrilled to announce that on April 17th, 2016, Great Sage is hosting a Benefit Day for The Vegetarian Resource Group!

Enjoy their creative cuisine including brunch items such Blueberry Cinnamon-Vanilla Glaze Pancakes or a Breakfast Sandwich. For lunch you can try Hearts of Palm “Crabcake,” Jerk Tofu Wrap, Cajun Chicken Sandwich, a Falafel Wrap, and more. For dinner you can order Buffalo Bites, Artichoke Spinach Dip, Thai Peanut Curry, Adult Mac’ & Cheese, ‘Chorizo’ and Potato Tacos, plus many other menu items. Of course, you don’t want to forget dessert. Choose from Carrot Cake, Raw Key Lime Pie, Chocolate Lava Cake, Tart Cherry Crisp, and more.

VRG volunteers will be near the front door. Be sure to say hello if you attend this event.
For more details see: http://greatsage.com/vrg-benefit-day-2/

Trifecta Lime Wild Rice Vegetable Pilaf

By Maria Pittarelli, DTR

I was able to sample one of the refrigerated meals from Trifecta organic meal delivery service. This meal is called Lime Wild Rice Vegetable Pilaf. It was labeled as vegetarian, and the ingredient list shows that it is actually vegan. It was very easy to microwave and then the great smell won me over. This pilaf contains wild rice with a variety of vegetables including onions, carrots, peppers, kale, and squash in a sauce with lime, tomato, paprika, and other spices. I found the recommended heating time to be accurate. After three minutes, the meal was consistently hot throughout and the rice was the perfect texture, not mushy at all like some frozen meals. The large slices of carrot and squash were tender and very flavorful. It tasted mostly like lime and cumin, which are flavors I personally enjoy a lot. I did notice one large kale stem, but every other bite was cut well and easy to eat with just a fork. This meal was very mildly spicy, so I think both kids and adults would be able to enjoy it. I appreciated the presence of an ingredients list and a nutrition facts label, which showed that this meal contains:

390 calories
5 grams fat
366 mg sodium
72 grams carbohydrates
9 grams fiber
11 g sugar
14 g protein

I like that this meal is low in fat, relatively low in sodium for a packaged meal, and with no added sugars. I enjoy that it is based around wild rice, which is a whole grain. The fiber and protein are both adequate, although I would’ve loved to have some beans or lentils mixed in also. At 390 calories, it’s a bit small for a complete meal for an adult. Three meals of this size would provide 1190 calories per day, falling short of the average adult requirement of 2000 calories per day but the company said they’re assuming customers are consuming snacks on the side (and that those aiming for weight loss can adjust their snacks).

Overall, I enjoyed it. I would eat this meal again in the future and be glad to try other Trifecta meals as well.

For more information on Trifecta meals, see:
http://trifectanutrition.com/vrg

The contents of this posting, our website and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgement about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.